policy brief on Milan Food Policy ongoing actions

RURAL-URBAN LINKAGESPERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE

AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENTCities are innovative living lab to co-create, test and implement

local actions for sustainable urban food systems.

#FoodPolicyMilano#EUFoodCities#MUFPP#LocalFood#Agriculture

Population: 1.366.000 | Surface: 181 kmqAdministration: Municipality

City size: 2nd Italian city

Food Policy Agreement (2015-20):City of Milan, Cariplo Foundation

with the support of EStà Research Center

International networks:MUFPP, Eurocities WG Food,

C40 Food System Network, 100 Resilient Cities100 Circular Economy, WHO Healthy Cities

Institutional engagement:Department of Urbanism (Agriculture)

Department of Urban Economy (Open Innovation)Regional Authority (DG Presidency, Agriculture, Land)

Metropolitan Authority (Agriculture dpr.)Sountern Milan Agricultural Park

Institutional responsibility: Vice Mayor Anna ScavuzzoContact person: Andrea Magarini, Food Policy Coordinator

Mail: andrea.magarini@comune.milano.itLink: www.comune.milano.it/foodpolicy

Twitter: @FoodPolicyMi

The City of Milan developed in 2015 the Milan Food Policy that acts on the urban food system with a multidimensional approach around five key priorities: rural-urban linkages being one of the most important, en-gaging several local actors such as farmers districs, research centers, other institutions, non profit organizations and foundations.

Within the Food Policy in 2015 the Municipality shall have an active (direct or indirect) role in providing healthy food produced in a sustainable way that caters to several categories: school children, elderly, vulnerable groups and city employees.The actions for guidelines implementation are:1. Increase the supply of local quality, sustainable food in school

catering and public homes for the elderly;2. Increase the supply of local quality food produced in a sustainable

way, for the elderly and persons in need in all areas of Milan, with new forms of organisation and distribution;

3. Strategically enhance the role of community catering agreements as a tool for guiding the development of a sustainable food system and being an active part in promoting healthy and sustainable eating habits.

From 2016 City of Milan in its Food Policy framework implement several actions on the target-areas of multilevel governance, local public procurement and innovative peri-urban agriculture.

Milan’s agricoltural drivers

ELEMENTS OF OUR PROPOSAL

RURAL URBAN INCENTIVE

Milan Muncipality land and farm proprety 600ha on 2.910ha inside Milan 59 municipal farms (15 active) on a total of 117 farms Milan Agricoltural District 1.150 ha 31 farms

Milan Southers Agricoltural Park 47.000 ha on Agricoltural Park

3.636 farms

Milan Metropolitan City 67.338 ha in Metropolian Area 344 million euro of GDP / year

Big player landowner Hospital foundation

8.500 ha of property 100 farms

5 Agricoltural Districts Milan Agricoltural District 31 farms, 1.150 ha 40% of Milan Municipality land

Rice and Frogs 63 farms, 30.513 ha

DINAMO, 45 farms, 3.880 ha

Olona Valley, 45 farms, 1.500 ha

DAMA

Multilevel governance drivers for rural-urban link

Metropolitan Rural AgreementIn 2012 the Municipality of Milan developed a Framework Agreement for Territorial Development “Milan Rural Metropolis” which connects the Municipality, the Metropolitan authority, the Regional authority, 4 Agricultural Districts, 2 river basin authorities, in a public-private partnership (PPP) to act on rural-urban linkages with a 102 actions plan for a total value of 144 Million Euro, of which 26 already allocated through the strategic reorientation of ordinary funds. The Food Policy is part of this agreement through rural-urban links actions. The agreement considered rural and urban communities as equal players in a win-win game where one each other they can exchange knowledge, culture, development models, traditions, values, investments. The balance among territories are a presumption for the competitiveness of the whole areas towards a local sustainable development that involves cultural, social, economic and environmental aspects.

South Milan Agricultural ParkA green belt of 47,000 hectares around Milan that includes 61 municipalities, with protected areas, itineraries, many initiatives and events.The Sud Milan Agricultural Park aims to safeguard farming, crops and woodlands, to protect the natural environment, enhance the historical and architectural heritage, recover the environment and landscape in degraded areas, to educate visitors about the park and how to respectfully use its environmental resources. The park is characterised by its dense agricultural crops, punctuated by a rich network of natural waterways and canals and a rural road system. Corn fields alternate with water meadows; rows of trees mark the borders of the fields and run next to the waterways.The abundance of water is one of the area’s most significant environmental resources that contribute to making this extremely precious ecosystem.

114 Millions euro102 actions planned

Farms

Production

Periurban

47.000 hectars3.636 farms

19 horticultural local supply chainsIn 2016, the Food Policy acted to connect school canteens public procurement in Milan with the supply chain of rice through the Milanese Agricultural District (180.000 kilo/year for a value of € 300,000/year). The know-how of this experience works now as grounds for further scalability by making available 19 horticultural supply chains for school canteens public procurement.

Within the Rural Developement Program (2nd pillar of EU Common Agricultural Policy, CAP) managed by Regional Autohority, an Integrated Area Plan was created with 31 Milan partners reorienting investments of agricultural farms for the value of 4 million Euro.Inside this Plan, agroecology/biodiversity investments are connected to the conversion of cultures related to the horticultural supply chains.This process capitalizes the outputs of 13 different projects, started in 2010 and promoted by foundations, social actors, Regional authorities and the Municipality.

Lessons learned:• It is necessary to fill in the information gaps between rural and urban

areas and stakeholders on the topics of funding opportunities.• The presence of facilitators that could act as free actor among

farmers, agricultural districts, municipal agencies and urban actors is fundamental to improve common plans with added value.

• Existing institutional tools must always be used at their best to share goals for common opportunities.

Milan Municipality 1,3 million inhabitants Milan Metropolitan Authority 3,2 million inhabitants new legal entity from 2015 Lombardy Region 10 million inhabitants *by law the Mayor of Milan is also Mayor of the Metropolitan Area

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urban rural

MOUNTAINS pre-alps

URBAN sprawl

RURAL valley

Regional scale

Metropolitan scale

Milan Municipality 1,3 million inhabitants Milan Metropolitan Authority 3,2 million inhabitants new legal entity from 2015 Lombardy Region 10 million inhabitants *by law the Mayor of Milan is also Mayor of the Metropolitan Area

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urban rural

MOUNTAINS pre-alps

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Production

National scale

Local Public Procurement for School Canteens

The project will create an “Open Innovation Hub on Peri-Urban Agriculture” in Municipal Farm Nosedo, an ancient farmhouse located in southern part of the city, an area defined as “urban fringe”, representing the transition zone between rural and urban. The Municipal Farm Nosedo will be re-structured and will serve as a innovative living lab for social inclusion, jobs and skills creation, open innovation along the food system while increasing the level of resilience and sustainability of the city.

Openagri launched in February 2018 an Urban Agriculture Lab within the area of Cascina Nosedo. The Lab will explore innovative techniques in urban agriculture (from production to logistic, from Internet of Food to sharing economy) and it will engage a series of selected partners on using in the best possible way a public owned 33 hectares plot of land. The Lab is primarily set to help entrepreneurs to develop new practices in Peri-Urban agriculture, to create new job opportunities and to revitalise a fringe area of the City

The project will result in improved interactions between traditional knowledge holders and other more innovative actors between local and citywide realities engaged in product, services or process innovation.It is also expected to foster cross-sector linkages and hybridization between different fields (agriculture, food industry, culture, education…) and actors (SMEs, CSOs, Local Authorities) with the ultimate aim of testing an innovation-driven inclusive growth model.

European UIA project

OpenAgri

New skills for new jobs in periurban agriculture

Rural Farmstead Nosedo33ha for tests Water mng. plantUrban areas

OpenAgri map

Agricultural Park

"We have the opportunity to act on some of the priorities related to the growth of our City: the development of peri-urban areas, the support to entrepreneurship and the implementation of the Milan Food Policy. We will invest in the regeneration of Porto di Mare area turning itinto an attractive pole to host innovative entrepreneurial ideas and start-up in the agri-food sector."

Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan

Contact person:Rossana Torri, OpenAgri project managerMail: rossana.torri@comune.milano.itLink: www.uia-initiative.eu/en/uia-cities/milanTwitter: @OpenAgriMilanoFacebook: @OpenAgriMilano